Four o'Clock

Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them.
They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
“Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day. (John 1:38-39, NLT).

Our family remembers when Grandpa and Grandma Roleder stopped their work, every day at four o'clock, to have coffee, cookies, and conversation. Does anyone in this era actually know how to stop everything to enjoy one another? Is it possible to stop long enough to relax and just be? I am just saying . . . we are typically so busy that even while taking a break . . . we are watching the clock.

John writes about Jesus seeing two disciples of John the Baptist following Him. John records the time of day as four o'clock in the afternoon, indicating only a few hours of daylight left to work . . . I wonder if Grandpa and Grandma's four o'clock coffee time came from this passage? At any rate, the disciples stopped what they were doing to be in the presence of Jesus. They literally stopped everything and remained with him the rest of the day.

What would it mean to stop at four o'clock and be so aware of the presence of Christ . . . to commune with Him . . . even if it is for a moment? It would require a commitment of not focusing on the do-to-list but to take a break to be aware of the presence of God--to be aware of His love, grace, mercy.
Take an intentional break today at four o'clock.

Be aware of the presence of Christ.
Receive the joy of being in His presence.

Learning with you to take a break and be aware of Christ,
Shalom,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2008 All Rights Reserved)